


Ride The Storm

by RECHerondale



Series: 9-1-1 Lone Star ⭐ [2]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Not Beta Read, Thunder and Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RECHerondale/pseuds/RECHerondale
Summary: When a storm rolls in, all is not well. But, with a reminder that he's not alone, TK realises that they can weather any storm. Together.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: 9-1-1 Lone Star ⭐ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870429
Comments: 9
Kudos: 239





	Ride The Storm

TK jolts upright, frantically looking around as his heart pounds in his chest, breath ragged and loud in the otherwise quiet room as a phantom ache spreads across his chest, reminiscent of what he felt after waking from his coma after getting shot all those months ago. It takes a second, though it feels like a decade to his panicked mind, for his eyes to adjust and properly take in what he’s seeing; his heart rate slowing as his mind registers that he’s at Carlos’, safely beside his slumbering boyfriend. He can’t even pinpoint what ripped him so viciously from his sleep, at first.

He pushes the duvet off his legs as he turns, sitting up and dropping his head into his hands after running his fingers through his hair, trying to think back to what he was dreaming back. The only things that he can recall are flashes of Carlos, his dad and Buttercup, so he doubts it was anything to do with those images, nothing about even close to jarring enough for his mind and body to throw him out of his sleep like that. 

He picks up his head, glancing over his shoulder as the sheets rustle behind him, checking that he hasn’t woken Carlos. The older male had a gruelling shift, not helped by covering a few extra hours for another officer that needed medical attention after getting clipped by a bullet at a domestic disturbance call. With no signs of consciousness from his boyfriend, TK’s attention drifts again and settles on the window in Carlos’ room that is letting the moonlight filter in. With his focus now on it, it’s as if his hearing has only just tuned in to all the outside noise that’s been going on while his mind had been distracted by thoughts of his boyfriend.

The moonlight is splotchy and distorted as it falls on the carpet, reminding him slightly of a cheetah’s spots or some other kind of animal, but his thoughts skid to halt and his muscles tense immediately as a low rumble interrupts the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the glass, distant but recognisable as a storm brewing. Suddenly, a flashback of his dream from just before he awoke hits him; the image of Carlos, his father and Buttercup happily interacting being torn apart in sinuous threads in front of his eyes with a deafening rumble, a gold bullet ripping through the image and then tearing, in slow-painful-motion through his skin as the pain spreads through his chest as he looks down, his only option is to watch as his body refuses to move, as he sees the skin he knows bears a scar now ripped open and glistening, red spreading as the rumble continues and the pain spreads before the bullet finally exits his body.

TK blinks, rubbing his chest as he feels phantom bands constrict around his lungs, telling himself that he’s fine, that there’s nothing wrong with his chest now. He was given a completely clean bill of health, his lung capacity back to 100% aside from the scar tissue that could affect his oxygen absorption, but otherwise completely healthy. He coughs as the feeling flares in response to another roll of thunder, this time closer and slightly louder, pushing himself up and stumbling to the bathroom. He pushes the door shut, careful not to let it slam so he doesn’t wake Carlos, before flipping on the light and reaching for the glass they keep by the sink after turning on the cold water. He keeps one hand on his chest, trying to massage the feeling away as he fills the glass with one hand before drinking from it in desperate gulps, pausing the motion against his chest long enough to turn the tap off, which leaves the bathroom in near silence again, other than his panting breaths. He puts the glass to one side when drinking doesn’t help, knowing that it probably isn’t safe to try and force liquids right now, not until he has his breathing properly under control, at least.

This isn’t the first time he’s had an anxiety attack since his injury, but it’s the first time that he can remember it happening because of a storm. Not to mention that he’s tried not to let Carlos know about them; he has enough to worry about without TK having a mental breakdown every time a car backfires or, apparently, a storm involving thunder rolls around. 

He braces one arm on the counter, resting his head against it as he bends at the waist, and tries to again massage away the phantom ache to convince his brain that he can breathe. He coughs as his breath catches again, hearing the thunder again as his mind once again unhelpfully reminds him of how similar it sounds to a gunshot going off in slow-motion. His spiralling thoughts take over in his lapse in concentration, the tightening in his chest becoming more prominent as his mind replays his injury and reminds him of what it felt like to feel his breath being stolen by the collapsed lung as his mind took a second longer to register that he had just been shot.

With his focus on all of that, he fails to hear the taps on the bathroom door – once, twice, then the door handle moving to open the door to allow his concerned boyfriend access to the room. TK only registers the extra presence in the room when he feels hands on him.

Carlos’ hands land on his back and upper arm, trying to coax him to move enough for him to see TK’s face. The younger male spares him a glance but it’s enough time to take in the fact that his boyfriend is worried, and that his lips are moving although TK can’t hear anything other than the sound of the bullet replaying over and over in his ears.

Carlos must come to the realisation that TK can't hear his questions, or maybe figured out what is going on from his experience in his job, as he opts to pull the younger male against his chest and guide them both to sit on the floor against the bathroom counter. TK feels his boyfriend maneuver him carefully so that his head is nestled into Carlos' neck with one hand held firmly against the older male's chest, over his heartbeat which TK can faintly feel drumming against his palm as his boyfriend's chest rises and falls steadily, and his other hand tucked between them as Carlos wraps his arm around TK's back in a firm hold - creating a barrier between TK and the outside world.

TK blinks, feeling the band in his chest loosening ever so slightly with each breath he feels Carlos taking, finding himself unconsciously mirroring the pattern he can feel beneath his palm. As the mind-numbing panic filters away, he also registers the vibrations of Carlos' throat as he talks, though it doesn't take long for TK to realise that his boyfriend isn't actually talking, he's singing. Under his breath, Carlos is singing a Spanish lullaby the younger male has heard him singing to one of his nieces from one of the few times his boyfriend has taken him to meet his family.

TK squeezes his boyfriend's hand in gratitude, pressing his forehead against the warm skin of his boyfriend's neck as the panic gives way to embarrassment - that he had an anxiety attack because of thunder, that his boyfriend saw his moment of weakness that TK has been trying so hard to keep hidden from him.

Carlos, who had finished the song a while ago, starts to rub circles against TK's side with his thumb, letting TK process. He turns his head to press a kiss to the younger male's hair when he feels TK flinch against him in response to another clap of thunder overhead.

"I'm okay," TK whispers, his voice barely audible in the quiet room.

"Are you?"

He nods, fisting his hand in the shirt Carlos apparently threw on before coming to find him.

"Is it the storm?" When TK shakes his head, Carlos tries again. "The thunder?"

"Kind of," The younger male shrugs, ducking his head against his boyfriend so that there is no way for Carlos to see his face. "Not exactly."

"How vague," Carlos teases lightly, hoping to diffuse the embarrassment TK is clearly projecting. "Are you feeling well enough to move this back to bed, before our bodies seriously start to hate us?"

TK huffs in reluctant amusement before moving out of his boyfriend's hold, using the counter to stand before offering his hand to Carlos to help him up. "Okay, grandpa. I'm still young enough to not get cramp from sitting on the floor longer than twenty minutes."

Carlos smiles at the weak teasing, letting TK get away with it without comment in the face of appreciating that the younger male is slowly coming back to him. Carlos takes up TK on the offer, making his way to his feet with the firefighter's help, before continuing to hold his hand as they leave the bathroom, Carlos turning off the light as they go. They move through the dark hallway before entering the bedroom again, only letting go of each other long enough to climb into their respective sides of the bed before gravitating together again.

"I was dreaming about you, dad and Buttercup, spending time together as a family, but it turned into a nightmare about getting shot all over again," TK eventually speaks quietly into the miniscule space between them as they lay on their sides, facing each other with his forehead against Carlos' chest again and his boyfriend's sturdy arms around him to create another barrier. "Then I heard the storm coming in when I woke up and it just-"

"Reminded you of the gunshot and caused the anxiety attack to take hold." Carlos finishes the sentence for him, sighing softly as TK nods. "What can I do? What would help right now?"

There is no desperate tone or sign of begging but TK can tell that his boyfriend  _ wants _ to feel useful in any way. He voluntarily  _ wants _ to be there for him, to help TK deal with it all.

"This helps," TK moves to look up at him. "Being here, in your arms, where I know I'm safe helps."

Carlos nods, smiling fondly at the sentiment, before leaning his head down to kiss TK's forehead. "Then that's where you'll stay, for as long as you need." He murmurs the promise against the skin before kissing his forehead again.

TK sighs happily, closing his eyes and thanking the universe for the man beside him; thanking it for creating a man like him that would not only blow up his world within hours of meeting each other, but who would also go on to be the best thing to ever happen to TK. He smiles when he feels Carlos nudge him gently with his nose.

"What are you thinking about now?"

TK hums elusively before shuffling up the bed to be face to face with his boyfriend. "Thinking about you."

Carlos hums in interest.

"How amazing you are." TK reaches up to caress his boyfriend's cheek softly with his fingertips. "How grateful I am for you." He smiles as he sees Carlos blush slightly, appreciating the moonlight so much more because it gives him a clear view of his boyfriend's reactions to his words. "That you're the best thing to ever happen to me - for so many reasons." TK presses forward to kiss Carlos' lips softly, before pressing their foreheads together and meeting his boyfriend's gaze, hoping Carlos can see in his eyes all the things he's not saying. "How much I love you."

Carlos' face softens with a wide, truly contented smile. "I love you too, mi corazón."

The pair share another kiss before resuming their positions, their foreheads lightly touching as TK takes in his boyfriend's face, caressing the soft skin with his fingertips as his thoughts wander, feeling so safe in his boyfriend's arm's that the storm has become a nonexistent presence in his awareness.

They might have found each other at the worst moment in TK's life, when he was lost at sea with no sign of land after being forcibly thrown overboard, but they found a way to ride the storm to safety by each other's side. And that's exactly how they'll ride every storm. 

Together.

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta read or properly proofread either, so I apologise if there's any mistakes.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I look forward to hearing what you think in the comments.


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